First refugees rehomed by Christmas

A pledge to take in six Syrian refugee families to rehouse in West Oxfordshire between December and June has been met with backing by charities and councillors.

The first two families are due to arrive in December after West Oxfordshire District Council agreed to the motion at a full council meeting last Wednesday.

Four more families would arrive by mid-2016.

WODC cabinet member for communities and housing, Robert Courts said: “I am pleased that our councillors are giving their full support to what is a major international crisis.

“We have been asked to play our part and it is morally right that we do so.

“We want to reassure residents that we will continually review the situation including any impact upon public services in West Oxfordshire.”

WODC spokesman Carys Davies said they do not know where the Syrian refugees would be coming from because the United Nations will be allocating them before Government carries out security checks and places them in the care of a local authority.

She added WODC do not know yet where the refugees would be placed, but it would probably be private rented homes.

Director of the Oxford-based charity Asylum Welcome, Kate Smart, said the charity hopes to work with families when they arrive.

She said: “It’s really good West Oxfordshire council are joining other local authorities in offering to take people in.

“I know there’s been a lot of discussion about numbers but the important thing is to make a start. The main thing is to be moving as fast as we can.”

Cllr Courts added WODC’s offer is subject to full Government support and funding.

Witney town and Oxfordshire county councillor Laura Price said: “I think it’s really great to see local councils doing their part towards a practical solution to the refugee crisis.

“The government hasn’t made a commitment to take in many families and the numbers aren’t huge anyway.

“The local council’s response has been heart warming.”

The council’s pledge comes after Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron announced in September 20,000 Syrian refugees would be resettled in the country from refugee camps by 2020, including 1,000 by the end of 2015.

Refugees will be allowed to stay in the country for five-years and re-homing and resettlement costs are to come from the international aid budget.

A task group was set up at the beginning of September by WODC leader Barry Norton to look into how to rehome refugees in West Oxfordshire.